India minister says Kashmir will reject BJP

Farooq Abdullah says Kashmir will not be part of India if opposition leader Narendra Modi is voted to power.

27 Apr 2014 14:41 GMT

Referring to BJP's Narendra Modi, Abdullah said Kashmiris will not accept a communal person [EPA]

India's federal minister for new and renewable energy, Farooq Abdullah, has said that Kashmir will not be a part of India if Hindu nationalist leader Narendra Modi was voted to power.

At an election rally, Abdullah, who is also chief of the ruling National Conference in the restive Himalayan region, said that people of Kashmir would not accept a communal person.

"If it happens then Kashmir will not remain a part of India. I say it publicly. Kashmiris will not accept a communal person," said Abdullah in Srinagar city, the summer capital of India-administered Kashmir.

Polls in India have consistently shown voters favouring Modi, a divisive but charismatic figure, to lead the country - gaining a march over his main opponent Rahul Gandhi, the political heir of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty appointed to lead the Congress party campaign.

"Those who vote for Modi should drown themselves in sea," he added.

While he was addressing the rally, an explosion was heard near the venue, though nobody was injured. A police statement said that an explosion was heard in Khanyar neighbourhood which is being investigated.

Police said another blast took place in central Kashmir's Magam in Budgam district in which three people were injured.

Abdullah was scheduled to address a campaign rally in Magam in the afternoon.

Kashmir remains divided betwen India and Pakistan since 1947 who claim it in entirety.

Several pro-Idependece political groups have called for boycotting India's parlieamentray polls.

The government of Jammu and Kashmir has mostly been led by the National Conference, a pro-Indian party led by the Abdullah political dynasty.